Catherine de Duve - The Little Van Eyck: A Fun and Cultural Moment for the Whole Family!

To Aleydis Van den Bergh

The Little Van Gogh

The Little Renoir

The Little Monet

The Little Degas

The Little Klimt

The Little Turner

The Little Bruegel

The Little Van Eyck

The Little Rubens

The Little Czanne

The Little Waterloo

Marie-Antoinette

A History of Belgium for children

Before you start reading, take a sheet of paper and several pencils. You will need them to do the exercises.

Whenever you see this pencil, it is your turn to play!

You now know everything there is to know about Van Eyck?
Discover many other books from the collection The Little on www.kateart.com

Text: Catherine de Duve
Concept and coordination: KateArt Editions
Adaptation into English: Kerry-Jane Lowery

PHOTOGRAPHIC CREDITS

Jan Van Eyck:

ANTWERP, St. Barbara, 1437: cover ARRAS, Bibliothque municipale: Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy (drawing) BERLIN, Staatliche Museen: Baudouin de Lannoy, c. 1435 BRUGES, Groeningmuseum: The Madonna with Canon Van der Paele, 1434-1436: Margareta Van Eyck, 1439 BRUSSELS, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (MRBAB): Bouts, The Justice of Emperor Otto, 1473-1475 Memling, Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, c. 1470, Campin, The Annunciation, c. 1420 BUCHAREST, National Museum of Art of Romania: Man with a Chaperon, 1430 FLORENCE, Uffizi Gallery: Portinari Triptych, c. 1473-1482 GHENT, Cathedral of St. Bavo: The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, c. 1425-1433 LONDON, The National Gallery: Portrait of a Man in a Red Turban, 1433 Arnolfini Portrait, 1434: cover, MADRID, Museo Nacional del Prado: Van Der Weyden, The Descent from the Cross, c. 1430-1435 PARIS, Louvre: The Virgin and Child with Chancellor Rolin, c. 1435 VIENNA, Kunsthistorisches Museum: Jan de Leeuw, 1436

Documents:

After Grard Mercator Engraved map of the Low CountriesEngraving from Antonius Sanderus, Flandria Illustra, 1641 GHENT, Museum of Fine Arts: Portraits of Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal TURINO, Museo Civico dArte Antica: Turins Hours CHANTILLY, Cond Museum: Limbourg brothers, The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry, September, early 15th century

Musea Brugge Lukas - Art in Flanders vzw

Thank you to Eric Vaes ; Dr Till Borchert, Conservator Groeninge Museum, Bruges ; Dr Manfred Sellink, Director of the Museums of Bruges ; Lieve Desmidt, Anja Bienstman, Bruges Museum ; Dr Hugo Van der Velden, Professor at Harvard ; Vronique Lux ; Carole Daprey and all the people who helped to make this book.

KateArt Editions 2015

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or any other information storage and retrieval system.

e-ISBN: 9782875750716

2015, version numrique Primento et KateArt ditions

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We are in the 15th century. It is the end of the Middle Ages, when medieval knights, tournaments, crusades, armour and falconry rule France and England are at war. Joan of Arc is burned alive at the stake in Rouen.

The dukes of Burgundy reign over the Low Countries including Flanders, Brabant and Burgundy. The main towns are Dijon, Brussels, Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent, Lille and Ypres. Can you spot some of them on the map?

In 1425, Jan Van Eyck is appointed court painter and valet to Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy. He receives an annual salary because, according to the sovereign: Nowhere else has he come across a man as gifted in the arts and sciences.

Philip the Good (Dijon 1396 Bruges 1467)

Isabella of Portugal (Evora 1397 Dijon 1472)

He takes part in secret diplomatic missions and is sent on lengthy secretive voyages abroad. Van Eyck paints the portrait of Isabella, the daughter of the King of Portugal, whom the Duke marries in January 1430. A big celebration takes place in Bruges. It is on this occasion that Philip founds the Order of the Golden Fleece.

Chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece, symbolising the myth of Jason in Greek mythology. This new order of chivalry was devoted and loyal to the House of Burgundy.

Only very few people can read at the end of the Middle Ages. Books are handmade in plate makers. They are both rare and costly. Copying the bible required approximately three years of work. But Gutenberg is busy inventing a revolutionary printing process.

At the beginning of his career, Jan Van Eyck embellished beautiful manuscripts with illuminations. He used a paintbrush with only one hair to realize the minuscule details of his miniatures. Is he using a magnifying glass?

Miniature:Minium in Latin, means red lead or vermilion red, used to paint the adorned initials in manuscripts, it is also the name used for small painted pictures.

Illumination refers to the richly coloured and gilded ornamentations used to illustrate manuscripts. In Latin, illuminare means to light or bring light to. Illumination embellishes and facilitates the reading of a text by illustrating it.

The book of hours is a devotional book. It contains:

An illustrated calendar with the signs of the zodiac and the labours of the month.

The Little Office of Our Lady: with illustrations of the Annunciation (Matins), the Visitation (Lauds), the Nativity (Prime), the Annunciation to the Shepherds (Terce), the Epiphany (Sext), the Purification (None), the Flight to Egypt (Vespers) and the Crowning of the Virgin (Compline).

The Penitential Psalms illustrated by Christ in majesty, David in prayer, Bethsabe bathing.